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The original was posted on /r/talesfromretail by /u/UnderstandingSea7999 on 2023-07-30 20:52:01.

I used to work in a specialist running retailer where we sold running shoes, clothing, and accessories. What set us apart was that a lot of staff were runners, and we really took our time with customers to make sure they got the right things.

A lot of the time we’d be talking people down from buying the most expensive shoe / jacket / watch to help with their running if they really didn’t need it or it would be actively bad for them (e.g. very expensive shoes that did not match their foot shape so would likely cause blisters). As you can imagine, this used to take a lot of people by surprise that we wouldn’t just automatically sell them the wrong thing to make more money, and we built a lot of trust and got a lot of repeat custom that way. Slowly slowly catchy monkey.

Anyway, the company grew and we got taken over as the original boss sold up to enjoy their retirement. I’m working in one of the shops one day and a customer comes in asking for a really obscure accessory for a running watch. He knows what it is, but is only fairly sure it’ll do what he wants it to do, and wants to see if we’ve got one - fair enough.

I check and we don’t, because it’s really obscure, it’s not even registered as a product on the till - and knowing how the special ordering system works for non stock items is (you have to pay up front and there are no returns unless it’s faulty) I let him know that it’ll take about 2 weeks to get in, and if it doesn’t work for him he’ll be stuck with it, BUT Amazon have loads, can get it to him tomorrow, can sell it for cheaper than we can buy it, and he’s got the option to return under distance selling regulations. I say to him it’s best to go down that route as it’ll be quicker, cheaper, and less risky for him that way. This is quite honestly the type of advice the company was built on - if there’s a better way for the customer to do something, let them know.

His response (and he was almost welling up with tears / anger) - “So you’re telling me you won’t order me one in, I just can’t believe it - you guys have really gone downhill since you were taken over!!!”

Yeah pal, sorry for giving you the same sort of advice that has built the companys reputation for 30 years haha. Only time I actually laughed at the ridiculousness of someone in front of them.

Edit: typos